1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a shoulder cradle useful for holding a stringed instrument such as a violin on the users shoulder. More particularly, it is concerned with a shoulder cradle which includes pivotally mounted retaining legs which partially retract, and an improved mounting system which enables the shoulder rest to be adjustably mounted relative to its base in order to promote improved positioning for the wearer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Violins, violas and like stringed instruments are typically played by placing the body of the instrument on the shoulder of the musician and held between the musician's shoulder and chin. A variety of different supports have heretofore been used which attach to the violin body and cushion or position the violin on the wearers shoulders.
Such supports include those shoulder cradles which I have previously developed as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,278,044 and 6,756,531, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Those shoulder cradles represent a substantial advance in ergonomics as applied to such shoulder mounted stringed instruments as violins and violas, in that those shoulder cradles demonstrate the ability of the shoulder cradle to conform more closely to human anatomy, thereby reducing fatigue on the musician, while securely clamping to the stringed instrument.
While my prior shoulder cradles present a substantial advance in the art, it is to be recognized that each musician is different, both in size and technique. Thus, I have found a need for a shoulder cradle which is more adaptable to different musicians. In addition, I have found that there is a need for improved portability of the shoulder cradle while retaining the ability to firmly clamp to the instruments so as to avoid unintended shifting of the instrument relative to the shoulder cradle. Both of these improvements need to take into account the need for economical construction which will require a minimum of maintenance by the musician.